MovieChat Forums > Europa (1991) Discussion > Franz Kafka's America

Franz Kafka's America

posted 19 years ago by daniel_man38
18 replies | jump to latest

It is just me or this is an european version of Franz Kafka's America.
It's almost the same story.

German looking for work in America. = American looking for work in Germany.
Uncle. = Uncle.
Rich family. = Rich family.
The guy crossing America. = The guy in the train crossing Germany.
Elevator. = Train's car.
Protective German Cooker. = Protective American General.
The french and the irish guys. = The werewolves.

[–] depravaciontotal 19 years ago

its just you.

[–] What_A_Shame 9 years ago

Europa was influenced by Franz Kafka's Amerika, and the name of the film was chosen "as an echo" of that novel

http://undertheunderlook.blogspot.com.au/

[–] SickofEpics 19 years ago

Actually, while i was watching this I was reminded of Stephen Soderbergh's "Kafka." I dont know if that's the same thing.

[–] tipkin 19 years ago

I haven't read America, but main character's encounters definitely do feel like something Kafka would write.

[–] RonnieCLarsen 19 years ago

Well i know Lars von Trier has read Kafka, so...

[–] mulhollandpsycho 13 years ago

Soderbergh's 'Kafka' was an ensemble of Kafka's actual works combined in a fictional homage to the author. The film placed Kafka in the situations described in his novels. So, yes, it's 'the same thing'.

[–] zergis 19 years ago

I'd guess it is intentional.

If I remember correctly they actually say they "should do something like Kafka's 'America', but in Europe" when driving around in Germany in the second movie in the Europe trilogy, "Epidemic" (1988)

[–] 19 years ago

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[–] jax-28 18 years ago

It is. I would recommend the two Kafka-based films, Europa and Amerika (http://imdb.com/title/tt0109101/) as a Trans-Atlantic double-feature.

[–] savantidiot 18 years ago

Wow. I have come to accept that coincidence is but a word and there is no such thing as chance. From there I can clearly say that I was reading a synopsis of this film cause a club near my place is going to screen it - and woila! Kafka's America was instantly playing in my head. Its a good thing I can correct myself only after watching the film.

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] p_griffiths69 17 years ago

The 2005 Time Out film guide feature on this describes it as Amerika in reverse too.

[–] nicholas-f 17 years ago

It's a bit bizarre to call it plagiarism if he admits to doing it and the work is out of copyright. If he'd called it 'Amerika', you'd probably not have been so upset. He happened to find that Kafka's work on America (which was almost certainly about Europe anyway as Kafka never crossed the Atlantic) applied very well to twentieth century Europe. It takes a genius to notice such things.

Not that I liked the film, though...

[–] heelmaster2000 14 years ago

You know the whole film did remind me a lot of Kafka's work to be honest.

[–] 14 years ago

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